The present invention relates to an improved golf club grip.
Applicant has previously developed resilient grips which successfully reduce shock to the muscle and arm joints of the users of golf clubs, tennis racquets, racquet ball racquets, baseball bats and other impact imparting devices. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,797,813 granted to applicant Aug. 25, 1998. Such earlier grips utilize a polyurethane layer bonded to a felt layer to define a strip which is spirally wrapped around the handle of a golf club, racquet or the like to conform to the external configuration or such handle. In certain of such grips the sides of the felt layer taper from the side edges of the strip and the polyurethane layer is formed with recessed reinforcement side edges which overlap to form a water retarding joint between the side edges of the strip as the strip is wrapped around the handle or over a resilient sleeve telescopically carried by the golf club handle. A problem common to polyurethane-felt golf club grips is the tendency of the side edges of the polyurethane-felt grips to unravel over a period of use from stretching of the strip as well as by frictional contact of the exterior of the grip with a golf bag as a golf club is removed from and returned into such golf bag.
Another problem is that such grips are prone to absorbing water. Accordingly, the grip will tend to absorb the perspiration from the user's hand and may become saturated during play thereby causing slippage of the golf club in the user's hands. The same problem occurs under wet conditions such as when playing golf in the rain. The golfer then either stops playing, or alternatively continues his game with reduced pleasure because of slippage of the grip in his hands.